Vampire Elder
The Vampire Elders, also known as Grand Elders, are the three rulers of the entire vampire population and the strongest of their kind. The original Elders are the three oldest known Vampires, including the first Vampire. These three Vampires are Marcus Corvinus, Viktor, and Amelia. By the end of Underworld: Blood Wars, three new Elders were chosen. These three Vampires are the progeny of Viktor Selene, the son of Amelia David, and the gifted Lena. History Marcus was the original Vampire and he sired the Hungarian warlord Viktor on his deathbed in exchange for his military prowess and the use of his army to aid Marcus in capturing his brother William, the first and most powerful Werewolf. For this task, Viktor’s troops were turned and made into the first Death Dealers, Vampire warriors trained to kill Werewolves. Marcus later sired Amelia for unknown reasons, though most likely to contribute to the effort to combat the Werewolves and locate William. As the oldest living Vampires, the three of them founded the Budapest Coven and were soon regarded as Elders. Viktor was considered the most powerful and Amelia was also highly influential. Marcus, however, was undermined and over-shadowed. In the early 15th century, Viktor intended for his pure-blooded daughter, Sonja, to become an Elder someday; however, this never came to pass, due to Sonja being executed for falling in love with the Lycan, Lucian. There were apparently no further attempts to make any other Vampires Elders after this (Sonja was possibly an exception due to being Viktor's daughter and it's known that Amelia was secretly planning to do the same with her son David). By the events of Underworld: Evolution, in the early 21st century, all three original Elders are deceased: Amelia had her blood completely drained by Lycans on the orders of Lucian, in an attempt to turn himself into a Hybrid, Viktor was killed by Selene to protect Michael Corvin and in retaliation for the murder of her family, and Marcus was also killed by Selene in self-defense and to prevent him from wiping out all Vampires. Following the death of Amelia, Viktor and Marcus, the Vampires are left without their central leadership for over a decade. In Underworld: Blood Wars, three new Elders are chosen: Selene, Lena and David who is the son of the original Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir. All three of the new Elders are Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids and possess greater abilities than the original Elders. Politics The Elders are the most powerful Vampires in the world, ruling over the covens with the assistance of the Vampire Council. Though it is not entirely clear just how much influence the Elders have in making laws and decisions, it seems likely that they have the final word on important decisions - Viktor is shown overriding the Council on several matters in Rise of the Lycans, suggesting that Elders have the power to veto decisions made by the Council if they disapprove, and that any decisions must be presented to the Elders for approval first. The ruling Elder is possibly the thirteenth member of the Vampire Council."There are twelve seats on the Council."~Andreas Tanis Viktor and Amelia both sought to undermine Marcus's authority, but Viktor believed the lie that should Marcus or William die, the rest of the species would die with them. Thus, he never sought Marcus's death. It is possible that Viktor and Amelia have been deceiving the Vampires by implying that the Vampires' immortality was linked to the bloodlines of all three Elders."Our noble houses may be separated by a great ocean... but we are equally committed to the preservation of the bloodlines..." ~Dmitri The Vampire Elders have an intricate system known as the "Chain", during which one Elder rules while the other two slumber in the crypt in Ördögház for every century, thus preventing their conflicting styles of leadership causing division between them and the constituency they rule over. Generally, only an Elder will awaken another, as they have the ability to organize their thoughts into a cohesive record for the next Elder to refer to; however, it is possible for any blood to provoke an Awakening, although other Vampires lack the mental clarity required to coherently organise their thoughts. Elders are shown to be treated with reverence with the fact that Selene killed Viktor being enough for her to be issued a death warrant by the entire Vampire Council. Marcus may not have been given the same reverence as Viktor or his rogue actions became well-enough known for his death not to have been punishable as there is no mention made of Selene facing punishment for killing Marcus, only Viktor. New Elders may apparently be chosen by the Vampire Council if necessary as the Council was eventually able to promote Selene, David and Lena, the three most powerful Vampires at the time of their choosing as the new Elders. An Elder's position can be hereditary as Viktor intended for Sonja to become an Elder before discovering her affair with Lucian and Amelia's son David was stated to be her rightful heir as the head of the Eastern Coven and presumably an Elder. Powers & Abilities The Elders are the most powerful Vampires in the world. Original Elders The original Elders' advanced age, in conjunction with being sired directly by Marcus, grants them much more strength and power than subsequent generations, except the latest generation of Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids who are far stronger than any vampires of previous generation. *'Superhuman Strength': Vampire Elders are far stronger than younger Vampires and can overpower or kill them with ease. Their strength is even greater than that of transformed Lycans, allowing these Vampires to face them in single combat successfully. Viktor took down a transformed Raze (considered a very powerful Lycan) with ease by holding him at the neck, breaking his arm and then proceeding to break his neck with no effort. An Elder is strong enough to fight a Hybrid head on, though they must have great skill and fighting prowess in order to stand any chance, taking into consideration the confrontation between Viktor and Michael Corvin. Viktor, who was centuries older and therefore far more experienced, was able to eventually overpower Michael although not before sustaining considerable damage to himself in the process due to Michael's superior strength and speed. *'Superhuman Endurance and Healing': They can heal faster and with more finality than younger Vampires and sustain far greater damage, as Viktor was able to recover from being stabbed through the mouth and out the back of his throat. *'Superhuman Speed': As the three oldest Vampires the original Elders speed is superior than younger Vampires and even most Lycans. *'Blood Sorting': Vampire Elders have the unique ability to communicate through their blood, organizing thoughts and memories into a single cohesive vision. This technique is used as part of the Chain, wherein the next Elder to rule is briefed in a blood vision by the previous ruler. Presumably, an Elder can select which memories to keep from those he or she wished to transfer, protecting those particular recollections from being bestowed into the next Elder to rule, since Marcus never found William's prison for a span of several centuries despite receiving accrued memories from both Viktor and Amelia, and neither did the latter two made any effort in thwarting his efforts at doing so. In addition to having memories willingly imparted upon them, Vampire Elders are also able to extract the memories of those they feed on by force. Viktor used this power on Sonja, which is how he learned of his daughter's relationship with the Lycan Lucian. New Elders The new Elders Selene, David and Lena are stronger than the original Elders due to them being Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids. *'Superhuman Strength': The new Elders Selene, David and Lena all possess greater strength than the original Elders due to their nature as Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids and in Selene's and Lena's cases, the cocooning process of the Nordic Coven. After having her powers enhanced by the Nordic Coven, Selene's strength was so great that she was able to rip out the spine of a transformed Lycan-Corvinus Strain Hybrid with ease. *'Superhuman Endurance and Healing': The new Elders' endurance and healing is even greater than the original Elders, as shown when Selene was able to take the talon of the Hybrid version Marcus through the chest without flinching. Selene was able to take a sword through the back in Blood Wars which brought her to her knees, but only after being badly beaten by Lycan-Corvinus Strain Hybrid Marius. *'Superhuman Speed': The new Elders' speed is enhanced beyond that of the original Elders by their nature as Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids. Selene and Lena's is further enhanced by the cocooning process of the Nordic Coven to the point that they appear as mere blurs when using their full speed. *'Blood Sorting': Of the three new Elders, Selene and David at least has this ability, as shown when she sorted through Eve, David and Marius' memories and when he sorted through Amelia's memories. It is very likely that after becoming Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids David and Lena acquire this ability like Selene. *'UV immunity': Due to being Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids, the three new Elders are all immune to sunlight. *'Resurrection': One of the new Elders, Selene has displayed the ability to resurrect deceased Vampires as Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids by applying her blood directly to their heart. It is very likely that David and Lena possesses this ability too. *'Soul Reading': One of the new Elders, Lena, has the ability to read the souls of others. Selene may also possess this ability having gone through the same process. Trivia * Interestingly, the original Elders consisted of two men (Viktor and Marcus) and one woman (Amelia), while the newly selected Elders consist of two women (Selene and Lena) and one man (David). * Another interesting fact is that in both the original and new triad one of the Elders is the sire of the other two (Marcus turned Viktor and Amelia while Selene turned David and Lena) and the first of their kind/breed (Marcus is the first Vampire and Selene is the first Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid). * Originally'', the ability to read and absorb the blood memories of other Vampires or Lycans appeared unique to the Vampire Elders or other Vampires who are as powerful like Selene. In ''Underworld: Blood Wars, many vampires such as Vampire Council members and Alexia, are shown to possess the ability. Its possible that all Vampires possess this ability, but only Elders can use it to pass on their memories as a cohesive vision as described by Viktor. * Two of the new Elders have displayed abilities so far unique to them: Lena can read souls while Selene can resurrect deceased Vampires as Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrids. Her use of this ability is shown to be unique due to the marvel other Vampires showed at her resurrection of David. * One of the new Elders, David, is both the only living heir of one of the original Elders and the first Vampire to be resurrected. Gallery File:TheVampireElders.jpg|The Mark of each Vampire Elder: Amelia, Viktor and Marcus. References fr:Vampires Aînés es:Anciano Vampiro ru:Старшие вампиры Category:Characters Category:Vampires Category:Mythology Category:Organizations